‘The Battle of Cork’

Introduction from the Chronology

After the killing of Lt Colonel Smyth on June 17^th, disturbances break out in Cork City with Crown Forces (mostly BA) attacking civilians.

More Detail

During these disturbances, James Burke (or Bourke), an ex-BA soldier from Cork, is killed by British troops on North Main St in Cork City. The British were accused of using Burke’s blood to write their regimental name on a nearby wall. The inquest into Burke’s death finds that he was killed by a bayonet wielding soldier from the BA and it was unjustified. (See Sheehan for conflicting reports of the killing of Burke.) At his funeral, almost 5,000 Cork native ex-British Army men and others march behind Burke’s hearse.

The killing of Burke leads to brawls between off-duty British soldiers and Cork-native ex-British Army soldiers over the next few days – this became known as the ‘Battle of Cork’. During these disturbances, another ex-BA soldier, William McGrath, is shot for no reason from a BA vehicle near North Gate Bridge and dies from wounds on July 23^rd.

A young IRA man, John P. O’Brien, is also killed on the night of July 18^th by British machine gun fire in King (now MacCurtain) St when he is going to aid a woman.

In their official Record of the Rebellion, the BA claimed to have killed about 25 of their attackers – this is patently a gross exaggeration.

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